If you want to have a look on Google earth the villa address is Pliny Court, Windward Cay. Kissimmee- or put in Wall-mart 192 Kissimmee and we are to the left of it at marker 14 on the 192 (which is the main road running through Orlando)

If you go onto the net and type in Kissimmee old town Or 192 Kissimmee map. It will give you info on what is around that area.

While you are in Florida it nice to other things than just parks..

Shopping

www.wintergardenvillage.com

192 Flea Market (Outlet) in Kissimmee Florida

Celebration, Florida

http://www.celebrationtowncenter.com

Old Town- on the 192

www.oldtownflorida.com

On Thursday and Saturday nights at old town there is entertainment motor bikes one night cars the other night.. Really nice to see, need to get there for around 6pm to get the full benefit of a night out. for adults there is bars along with dancing in the street & for the kids

On Old Town there is a big’ish fair split into two – Ride tickets are cheap to buy and the all day wrist bands work out at good value for money or to go after 6pm.

Coupon Books

When you are out and about pick up some coupon books in Golden coral Wal-Mart/. Ect. These will give you for example 10% off food bill in Golden Corel  or dunkin donuts buy 6 get six free (a must have, you’ll eat them all without sharing them) coupon books also gives the kids free gifts in some shops and the flea markets. The younger kids enjoy collecting free stuff…

Air boat

We did hire a hire an air boat for a few hours - which is a must do - it was so funny getting stuck in the tree’s, drive your self!!!! - also in Down Town Disney there is the Disney Quest, this is for all ages lots of computer game’s, internet, children can make their own pop song, make toys etc. you need a long evening to do it all.

The ride will last approx 30 minute and each capsule will carry up to 40 passengers.  Each glass capsule (of which there will be 24 of them) is air conditioned and UV protected (very important on they very hot and sunny days in Orlando).  Passengers will be able to move about the capsules and will have 360 degree views.  You will slowly move to 400 feet where passengers will be able to view Walt Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, Down Town Orlando and many other atrractions, as well as the nightly firework displays (which I can imagine will be great seen from this height!) .  There is even talk that you will be able to watch the shuttle launches from Kennedy Space Centre - something which I would personally like to watch and have never managed!

As well as the construction of the Great Wheel, restaurants, shops and pubs will be built in a flight terminal building, providing relaxation and entertainment for visitors.

Further information can be obtained by visitng www.greatwheel.com/Orlando

This is obviously a very different attraction to all the others in Orlando and the first of its kind in North America.  If it is anything like the London Eye, I can imagine it bringing in many more visitors young and old! All ages will be able to ride this attraction and I will certainly be taking my family to try it out when it opens. 2010 will soon come around!

On my first visit I crammed in as much of the theme parks as I could. I loved what I saw and did. However there is a limit to how many times you can ride the Hulk or how long your stomache will allow you to stay on Fire and Ice. My wife was in her element queuing to meet Pluto whom she greeted in a semi hug/rugby tackle. It was comical to watch a non child friendly and normally laid back adult wait excitedly amoungst a queue of children to meet a total stranger inside a pluto costume. This was the part of Orlando I was expecting and was not disappointed. Theme parks are a must, even if you are dragged along begrudgingly and vow never to return again. 

One surprise I did have in Orlando was Elvis night at The Pub. The Pub is a bar located on US Highway 27, it is close to where our villa is located so somewhere we visited once in a while. It just so happens we were there on Elvis night. The Elvis impersonater Jack Smink has a following of local fans and has a minder who looks a lot like The Fonze complete with leather jacket and white t shirt. Once you look past the cheaply made tacky costumes and the silk scarves he hands out you get to listen to the voice and realise how good he really is. Jack puts on a great show and is a genuinely nice guy. He always has time to chat to eveyone both during and after the show and not just to make a sale of cd or dvd. I don’t actually know if Jack Smink is a well known Elvis impersonater in the US but having returned to the UK I have found him on google. He has his own web sites and does hit the road and tour.

If you are staying on US27 or near to that area The Pub is certainly worth a visit. Friday night is Karaoke night and the regulars are there doing their favourite songs. Check out David Bowie sound a like who duets with the ” Freddie Mercury” Karaoke in the US seems to be taken a lot more serious than in the UK and is hysterical.

  At the moment there are not that many bars in that area, other than The Brass Nail which my wife was too scared to go in to. This of course could all change with the developement of the Posner Leisure and Retail Park. The area is reputed to go upmarket. This can only be a good thing for villa owners and locals. However good the other bars are please don’t forget The Pub and Elvis.    

The Sea Turtle Preservation Society (STPS) is a not-for-profit organization. Its active volunteers are permitted by the Florida authorities to work with endangered and threatened sea turtles, and a Florida State Permit allows them to guide groups of visitors to observe nesting loggerhead sea turtles. 

During the Loggerhead sea turtle nesting season peak in June and July, the STPS provides public “Turtle Watches” several nights a week.

During June 2008, the Turtle Watches ran on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. During July (except for July 4th) they were scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. 

We made reservations for the trip well in advance of going out to Florida, and would recommend you do the same, as the Turtle Walks are very popular.

We were given instructions to meet in a small public hall one rainy evening, just north of Melbourne Beach. There were about twenty of us, and we were nearly outnumbered by the volunteers.

After a cup of tea and a biscuit, we sat down to a slide show, and a talk on the various species of turtles found on the Florida coast. While this was happening, most of the volunteers were out scouting for Loggerheads heading up the beach to lay their eggs. We were then led out by the volunteers, and made our way quietly along the beach until we came upon the chosen turtle. The volunteers used an infrared lamp to allow us to watch the eggs being laid, and this went on for some time, the turtle quite unperturbed and not at all aware of our presence. Eventually all the eggs were laid in the sand, and the turtle expertly filled in the hole with sand and made her way back down the beach and into the Atlantic once more.

It was a fabulous experience, and we made our way back to Orlando, tired but happy. It’s certainly not something you see every day.

The Sea Turtle Preservation Society is at P.O.Box 510988-0988, Melbourne Beach, Florida FL 32951-0988.  Call 321-676-1701 to make a reservation.

This year we decided just to go for it!

We set off at 9.00am, heading for the Florida Turnpike.

We entered the Florida Turnpike near St Cloud at milepost marker 244, and collected an electronic toll card at the Three Lakes Toll Plaza at milepost marker 236.  The toll card shows all the exit/milepost markers down to Lantana where the toll card is submitted for payment.  We stopped off at the service plaza just before the pay booth, which was a good half way point to stop.  It crossed our minds as well, that if the average speeds were calculated using the times of entry and exit through the toll card booth, a pit stop would be useful.

Where the Florida Turnpike ends at Florida City, US Highway 1 begins. US1 is otherwise known as the Dixie Highway whilst on the mainland, and then becomes the Overseas Highway serving the Florida Keys, terminating in Key West.  The green and white mile markers (MM) on US1, begin with 127 (south of Florida City) and end with 0 in Key West, and tell you how far you are from Key West from anywhere in the Keys.  Addresses and maps often include mile markers for easier location.

As we entered the Overseas Highway it was very tempting to find a hotel for the night, as we knew that it was another 3 to 4 hours to reach Key West, but we persevered.

The views were memorable and counting the bridges whiled away the time:

There are 42 Bridges On the Overseas Highway:

Jewish Draw Bridge (223ft)

North Pine (660ft)

Key Largo Cut (360ft)

South Pine (850ft)

Tavernier Creek (320ft) 

Torch Kay Viaduct (880ft)

Snake Creek (230ft)

Torch-Ramrod (720ft)

Whale Harbor (720ft)

Niles Channel (4,490ft)

Tea Table Relief (270ft)

Kemp’s Channel (1,030ft)

Tea Table (700ft)         

Bow Channel (1,340ft)

Indian Key (2,460ft)

Park (880ft)

Lignumvitae (860ft)    

North Harris (430ft)

Channel 2 (1,760ft)               

Harris Gap (140ft)

Channel 5 (4,580ft)                  

Harris (430ft)

Long Key (12,040ft)

Lower Sugar Loaf (1,260ft)

Tom’s Harbor 3 (1,270ft)

Saddle Bunch 2 (660ft)

Tom’s Harbor 4 (1,460ft) 

Saddle Bunch 3 (760ft)

Vaca Cut (300ft)                   

Saddle Bunch 4 (900ft)

7-Mile (35,830ft)

Saddle Bunch 5 (900ft)

Little Duck Missouri (840ft)

Shark Channel (2,090 ft)

Missouri-Ohio (1,440 ft)

Rockland Channel (1,280ft)

Ohio-Bahia Honda (1,050ft)

Boca Chica (2,730ft)

Bahia Honda (6,734ft)

Stock Island (360ft)

Spanish Harbor (3,380ft)

Key West (159ft)

The Keys themselves are very different from each other.  The first, Key Largo, seemed littered with Caribbean type huts, and the first few miles consisted of fuel stations and gift shops.  It’s not until you get to Marker 85 that you begin to ‘feel’ the keys; this is where you go over Snake Creek and see both the Gulf of Mexico & the Atlantic for the first time.  Marathon Key is quite industrial, and a lot wider than you think.  Islamorada Key was my favourite, such a beautiful setting, and part of Big Pine Key is a National Deer Refuge, which was unexpected.

It was 7.00pm when we reached Key West and started looking for a place to stay.  We chose the Best Western Hibiscus which is on Simonton Street, just off Duval Street.  This is a reasonably priced hotel (£60 per room per night if booked in advance over internet), which serves a buffet breakfast and has its own swimming pool.

We ate at Wendy’s diner on Lower Duval Street which we all highly recommended: good food, great price.  There are lots of restaurants and bars to choose from, to suit all tastes.

Everything is located within a few blocks of Duval Street, so you shouldn’t need a car to explore the city.  It is worth taking a tour on the Old Town Trolley Bus, or simply renting a bicycle or scooter from the numerous rental shops.

Temperature wise, visitors can expect the low 90o’s F in Summer and around 65oF in Winter, and bear in mind that 1st June to 30th November is Hurricane Season.

All in all a very enjoyable journey.